Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “How do you come up with the names for your characters?”
Most of my characters are named after people I know, but the characters usually aren’t anything like the people who’s names I used. Let’s take, for example, my latest novel, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me.
The father, Daryl, has the same name as the maintenance man in an apartment building where I once lived when I was single. I met someone named Marti once through social media and thought that name would be perfect for the mother.
One of my nieces had a friend named Natalie. I only saw her in passing when the girls were together and didn’t know her very well. But I thought Natalie would be the perfect name for a spunky teenaged girl who grows up in the course of the book. I knew many people named Sarah and thought that would be the perfect name for a ten-year-old girl. As for the dog, I thought it fitting Sarah name him Squeakers, since she finds him in the park, cold, alone, and squeaking, in other words whining, to indicate his fear at being abandoned.
How about you authors out there? How do you name your characters? You can click here to participate and read other bloggers’ responses.
New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me
Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.
Independently published with the help of DLD Books.
Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.
After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.
Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.
Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?
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My Corner 
I’m a great people watcher and subconscious collector of random information, names and personalities included. It’s all recycled, somewhere.
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That’s also a good way to find names. Thanks for sharing.
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When I type my clinic letters at work I’m always on the lookout for suitable surnames. I struggle with surnames sometimes.
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I struggle with naming characters. I often use baby name books and online sites that provide the meaning of the names. Generally, though, my characters carry the moniker “TK name” for at least one draft. Ha!
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I also have trouble with sir names. If I hear or see one I like, I should write it down for future reference but I don’t.
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Searching for names online isn’t a bad idea. Maybe I’ll try that if I run out of names.
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Online baby books are a good one. Especially the ones that give you the origins of the names.
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That’s good to know. Thank you.
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